Team India report card after England Test series

India lost the five-match Test series against England 1-4, with skipper Virat Kohli and the fast bowlers emerging as the top performers.

India Today Web Desk

New Delhi

September 12, 2018

UPDATED:
September 12, 2018 20:53 IST

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India suffered their worst loss in a five-Test series since 1991 (AP Photo)

The Indian cricket team lost the five-match Test series against England 1-4, that is fact. And that is what will go down in the history books no matter how closely-fought the series turned out to be.

All talk of the "intent", "not giving in" and "attitude", the "best Indian team over the last 15-20 years" just doesn't back up the claims made by the captain and head coach before and during the series.

India managed a win only in the third Test at Trent Bridge by which they won by 203 runs, sandwiched between humiliating losses by 'close' margins.

England won the - first Test by 31 runs, second Test by an innings and 159 runs, fourth Test by 60 runs and the fifth Test by 118 runs.

So where did it all go wrong for India in England? A closer look at the performances of each player might help in dissecting the problems that exist in the current Indian team.

Openers

India tried every possible combination of their openers - Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in the first three Tests, by which time they settled on the pair of Dhawan and Rahul as their first-choice for the final two. Rahul incidentally played as first-down, without much impact or success (but more on that later).

Vijay was ousted from the squad, after scores of 20, 6 in the first and a pair of ducks in the second. As a result 'young-star' Prithvi Shaw was called up as a replacement for the remaining two Tests but never got a chance to play.

Dhawan managed a total of 162 from eight innings, and never looked in control. His highest score, 44, came in India's winning cause, but that too in relaxed circumstances. Dhawan had starts throughout the series, without never looking like he was set for a big one. Not only the scores of 1,3 in the final Test, but the lack of conviction in himself was the real disappointment.

Rahul was only the third Indian batsman to play all five Tests. After the batting failures in the first Test at
No. 3, Rahul was sent up the order. With a defiant century in the last innings of the series, Rahul finished second-highest run-scorer for India with 299 runs, along with a commendable total of 14 catches.

Middle-Order

The issue of misfiring openers was compounded by the lack of support for India skipper Virat Kohli in the middle order. Kohli broke numerous records on his way to 593 runs in the series with a daylight between him and the next highest run-scorer (home side or away).

The truth is Kohli batted on a different level. The conviction, grit and sheer perseverance that the Indian captain showed is exactly what the rest of the middle order missed.

Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped from the first Test, and returned with a total of 278 runs. He contributed 72 runs in India's winning cause, but his 'patient' 132 in the fourth match was blamed for India ending up on the losing side.

Ajinkya Rahane played all five matches and finished with 257 , with a highest of 81 (again in the third Test which India won). But what sticks out is the Indian vice-captain's average of just 25.70 in the series.

Kohli at No. 4, at times in the series, carried the Indian batting line-up with little or no support from batsmen positioned next to him.

All-Rounders

Hardik Pandya was India's go to all-rounder in the series, but his lack of conviction in either department was the cause for frown on the foreheads of the Indian think tank. He played four matches, scoring 164 runs (with a highest of an unbeaten 52) and picking up 10 wickets (with a best of 5/28). In India's only win of the series, Pandya shined with the bat and ball, but his lack of consistency forced him to be dropped in favour of Hanuma Vihari in the last Test.

Vihari, on debut scored 56 runs in the first innings and then returned with the ball to pick up 3 wickets in the absence of a frontline pacer.

Keepers

The injury to Wriddhiman Saha meant opportunity for India playing a batsman-first keeper, but withstanding a late flourish from Rishabh Pant, the runs conceded far outweighed the runs scored. Dinesh Karthik seemed a good fit for Team India, his batting skills would enable India to play four front-line bowlers and an all-rounder. But a total of 22 runs, including two ducks, meant a different set of gloves was needed.

Pant made his debut and played the next three Tests, scoring a total of 162 runs (114 of which came in the last innings). The real cost was behind the stumps, as he cost India 76 byes in six innings. The argument that the ball was swinging more and that the bowlers had a hard time controlling it, made Pant's job tougher.

Spinners

India played all three spinners, with Ravichandran Ashwin playing four and missing out from the last with injury. Ashwin played mostly as a lone spinner taking a total of 11 wickets, a far cry from the 22 wickets (12 off which Moeen Ali got in just two matches) that his English counterparts managed.

Ashwin looked set for a big series, starting with 4/62 and 3/59 in the first match, but then things didn't turn out the way he wanted. he went wicketless in the third Test at The Lord's, as India paired him with Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep two was practically ineffective on a pitch which didn't suite spinners.

Ashwin was injured in the third Test which India won, as he persevered through the pain. He was selected for the fourth Test, despite not being fit and struggled through the Test, and yet picking up only one wicket.

In the last Test, India were forced to turn to Ravindra Jadeja. His return, 4/79, 86 not out, 3/179 and 13. Jadeja's inclusion brought some semblance of threat from India's spinners and his contribution with the bat was enough to stake a strong case for his selection in the future.

Pacers

The standout stars of the whole series for India were the pacers. Umesh Yadav played only the first Test, but picked up three wickets.

The next best was Jasprit Bumrah, with 14 wickets and that too in just three matches. Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma played all five matches and picked up 16 and 18 wickets respectively.

The pacers bowled with serious speed and controlled the new and old with relative ease and helped bowl out the opposition seven out 10 times in the series.

Bumrah returned to the team and picked up second five-wicket haul in the third Test. The pair of Ishant and Shami bowled well in tandem, asking questions of the English batsmen, only to be left disappointed with the catching from their teammates.

In conclusion, apart from Virat Kohli, none of the other Indian players will be leaving England happy and content with their personal performances. The all-too-familiar feeling of 'what ifs' continue to plague the Indian Cricket Team, as the casual cricket fans shift their attention to Australia...with hope.

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